Spirit to roll off lander mid-week
Posted: Mon, Jan 12, 2004, 1:18 PM ET (1818 GMT)
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is set to roll onto the Martian terrain by early Thursday, project officials said on Sunday. The date of the rolloff has been moving around in recent days as engineers dealt with a problem retracting an airbag on the lander that will force the rover to move off the lander using an alternative ramp. Under the current schedule, the last cable connecting the rover to the lander will be severed on Monday night, and the rover will also rotate 45 degrees clockwise. On Tuesday night the rover will rotate an additional 50 degrees and, if photos find no problems with the movement, complete its rotation by shifting an additional 20-25 degrees. If all goes well the rover would move off the lander and onto the Martian surface on Wednesday night. The rover will move off the lander in the direction of a depression dubbed "Sleepy Hollow" by project scientists.
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is set to roll onto the Martian terrain by early Thursday, project officials said on Sunday. The date of the rolloff has been moving around in recent days as engineers dealt with a problem retracting an airbag on the lander that will force the rover to move off the lander using an alternative ramp. Under the current schedule, the last cable connecting the rover to the lander will be severed on Monday night, and the rover will also rotate 45 degrees clockwise. On Tuesday night the rover will rotate an additional 50 degrees and, if photos find no problems with the movement, complete its rotation by shifting an additional 20-25 degrees. If all goes well the rover would move off the lander and onto the Martian surface on Wednesday night. The rover will move off the lander in the direction of a depression dubbed "Sleepy Hollow" by project scientists.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, July 31
Europe wants to be a strong partner of the US in the Moon race, ESA astronaut says
EuroNews — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) HydroGNSS data open for new insights into Earth’s water
ESA — 7:24 am ET (1124 GMT) Photo Gallery: SpaceX Turns A Corner With Starship Flight 13
Aviation Week — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Scheduled Friday Evening from Vandenberg
Santa Barbara (CA) Edhat — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) The Nimble U.S. Space Force Presses Its Advantage
Wall Street Journal — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) |
